Company Involved in G.M. Recall Said the Problem Runs Deeper

When General Motors recalled almost 1.4 million 2006-9 vehicles this week, the company said a system that heated the windshield-washer fluid could cause fires, even in vehicles that were turned off. As part of the recall, G.M. said it would remove the system.

But the company that made the system said it was not to blame and warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year, in response to an earlier recall, that even after G.M.’s fix, owners remained at risk from fires because it believed the electrical system in the vehicles was flawed.